Paste dispenser having collapsible tube supply and fluid pressure discharge



March 19, 1963 D. B. CRAFTS 3,081,914

PASTE DISPENSER HAVING COLLAPSIBLE TUBE SUPPLY AND FLUID PRESSURE DISCHARGE Filed March 1, 1961 INVENTOR C R A F T S ATTORNEY United States Patent PASTE DISPENSER HAVENG QGLLAPSIBLE TUBE SUPPLY AND FLUID PRESSURE DISCHARQE Derrnont B. Crafts, 337 Turner Sh, Auburn, Marne Filed Mar. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 92,625 5 Ciailus. (Cl. 222-252) This invention relates to the handling of commodities of various kinds and to equipment employed in such handling and in which such commodities are contained prior to the time of their use and by means of which the dispensing is facilitated.

The invention relates particularly to the handling of pastes or heavy creams including those used with toothbrushes in the caring for the teeth and the massaging of the gums, those applied to the body, and others used in numerous other ways.

Pastes and heaW creams have been held in containers of various kinds including some which were collapsible and such substances have been used in many ways, some of which have resulted in unsanitary conditions, inconvenience, waste, difiiculty of use, and otherwise subject to criticisms. Substances such as toothpaste, shaving cream and the like have been supplied in soft metal containers from which discharge could be readily accomplished by the exertion of pressure on the exterior thereof. The discharge of the material however, has been in a continuous length and to sever a portion thereof it has been necessary to resort to special gymnastics such as bringing the brush and tube into contact one with the other, by wiping with the finger or an independent medium, and it has been difi'lcult to obtain a sterile segment of the discharged prodnot without contamination and frequently it has resulted in cream on the hands, clothing and other objects.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the difiiculties enumerated and to provide simple, inexpensive and improved means easily for dispensing pastes or heavy creams and which means is particularly appropriate for use in connection with a collapsible tube and for discharging an independent mass or slug of the contents thereof without the necessity of the contact of the container with another object and the contamination of the contents.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser applicable to a tube of paste or heavy cream for the simple and easy discharge of a predetermined measured amount of the contents of such tube in an independent mass by air pressure from a hand operated pump or gun.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating one embodiment of the invention and the manner of its use;

FIG. 2, a longitudinal section through a tube of paste and the dispenser connected theerto;

FIG. 3, a similar view of a modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 4, a section of a further modified form.

Briefly stated, the invention is a paste or heavy cream dispenser applicable to a collapsible tube such as that in which toothpaste, shaving cream and other substances are contained, such dispenser comprising a discharge tube from which a predetermined mass of the product is ejected by air pressure after being forced into such discharge tube through a connection to a tube of such paste or heavy cream, the air pressure being supplied by means of a connection to the discharge tube rearwardly of the point of inlet of the cream. In other words the dispenser is some what in the form of an air pressure gun or pressure tube or cylinder having connected into one end a tube through which the paste or heavy cream can be supplied from a collapsible tube by the application of pressure upon the exterior of the latter to force a plug-forming slug of predetermined volume into the discharge end of the tube or cylinder, and with a pressure providing pump forming or cylinder 10 having a discharge end 11 into which heavy I cream I2 may be supplied from a conventional tube 13 or other container having an externally threaded discharge end 14 from which a conventional internally threaded cap or cover, not shown, has been removed.

In order to supply the paste or heavy cream 12 into the discharge end portion of the tube 10, such tube is provided with a relatively small inlet opening 15, and a connection is provided from the externally threaded discharge end 14 of a paste or heavy cream tube or container 13. This connection is in the form of a tubular member having an internally threaded coupling portion 16, the threads of which are of a size to engage the threads of the discharge end 14 of the tube 13 and to provide a tight joint therewith.

The connection has a portion 17 of reduced diameter which tapers to the relatively small opening 15 in the tube 10. The above described tubular connection between the paste or heavy cream container 13 and the tube 10 is at an angle so that when the paste is forced into the tube 10 it will move towards the discharge extremity of such tube. Consequently the distance between the opening 15 in the discharge extremity of the tube and the internal diameter of the tube determines the volume of the mass or slug to be discharged.

In order to produce pressure in the tube 10 behind the mass of paste to be discharged, a pump forming resilient bulb 18 is provided having an opening 19 over which the finger can be placed when the bulb 13 is in expanded condition and it is desired to force air through a discharge opening 20 in communication with the rear end of the tube 10 and connected thereto by a sleeve 21 having a dual flange 22 between which the wall of the bulb 18 is received. With the bulb 18 in expanded condition it can be gripped on opposite sides between the thumb and forefinger and with the thumb covering the opening 19. This compression of the bulb 18 will force air into the tube 10 and when the pressure within the tube has increased to a predetermined value the material in the discharge end will be shot or projected therefrom, thus making it possible to discharge the paste onto a toothbrush 23 or other object without contact therewith.

In FIG. 3 there is disclosed a gun constituting tube or cylinder 10 having a discharge end 11' with a coupling and loading member including an internally threaded larger portion 16, a reduced smaller portion 17', and an inlet 15', and with the material 12 forced from the tube 13 until such portion of the tube is filled as illustrated in this figure. In order to provide pressure for ejecting the charge or mass of material in the discharge end of the tube 10, the lower end of the cylinder may be similar to that of FIG. 2, and if desired the cylinder may be provided with a restricted opening 24 in proximity to the charge so that the full pressure of the air will not apply suddenly against the material to be expelled or in other words to vary the amount of the thrust of the air pressure.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 the structure is similar to that of FIG. 2 except for the fact that a valve forming member 25 is provided having a flattened mouth portion 26 to offer additional resistance to back pressure through the opening 15. Also instead of the tube 21 a tube 21' may be provided anemia 3 having dual flanges 22 for receiving the interior of the bulb 18, the upper end of the tube 21 having a portion of reduced external diameter 21" over which is received a resilient sleeve 27 having a fiat mouth portion 28.

A cap 29 may be provided to fit over each of the discharge ends 11 and 11' of the gun forming tubes and It? and such cap may be held thereon by friction as disclosed or by any desired means.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a relatively simple and inexpensive dispenser is provided for discharging a predetermined volume or quantity of paste or relatively heavy cream from a collapsible tube or other container in a sanitary manner by means of a pressure gun, the actuating force being supplied in any desired manner as for example by simple pressure between the finger and thumb of the hand.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a collapsible container for paste and with an externally threaded discharge end of a dispenser for the paste from said container comprising a coupling having an internally threaded portion for cooperative engagement with the externally threaded discharge end of said container, a tube connected at an angle to said coupling and having a discharge end and an end remote therefrom, said tube having a reduced passage providing communication with said coupling through which paste from said collapsible container can be supplied to said tube by the application of pressure upon said container and with the paste providing a closure plug for the discharge end of said tube, a pump forming resilient bulb connected to said tube at aposition remote from the discharge end of the latter, said bulb having an opening for the admission of air thereinto and over which the thumb or finger can be placed to close the same and by the compression of said bulb air may be forced therefrom into said tube, the internal capacity of the bulb being greater than the internal capacity of said tube back of the material to be discharged, whereby when the bulb is compressed and air is forced into said tube the material in the discharge end of the latter will be expelled in a unitary mass.

2. The structure of claim 1 including valve means in said coupling and tube.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein, said tube has a restriction near its remote end for efiecting the air flow therethrough.

4. A dispenser for paste from a container comprising a body including a tube disposed at an angle to said container and providing a pressure chamber and a connection for the container for paste and with an opening providing communication between said connection and said tube and spaced from the discharge end of the tube in proportion to the volume of discharge desired, a check valve in said opening, a bulb attached to the remote end of the tube and of a capacity to force a body of air through said tube when the bulb is compressed, whereby an individual unit of paste can be expelled from said dispenser.

5. A device for dispensing an individual unit of paste such as that used for brushing the teeth, comprising a body having a tubular pressure chamber with a reduced discharge at one end and fiuid pressure producing means at the other end, a discharge cylinder beyond said chamber and communicating therewith through said reduced discharge opening, a loading chamber having inlet means to connect to a collapsible tube and an outlet which opens into said discharge cylinder near said reduced discharge opening, said discharge cylinder having a nozzle opening aligned with said reduced discharge opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 600,547 Mazzanovich Mar. 15, 1898 1,356,837 Stegmaier Oct. 26, 1920 1,459,282 Clark June 19, 1923 1,749,312 Blair Mar. 4, 1930 2,609,971 Vivolo Sept. 9, 1952 2,533,839 Robinson -a Dec. 12, 1950 2,743,042 Borgin Apr. 24, 1956 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER FOR PASTE AND WITH AN EXTERNALLY THREADED DISCHARGE END OF A DISPENSER FOR THE PASTE FROM SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A COUPLING HAVING AN INTERNALLY THREADED PORTION FOR COOPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EXTERNALLY THREADED DISCHARGE END OF SAID CONTAINER, A TUBE CONNECTED AT AN ANGLE TO SAID COUPLING AND HAVING A DISCHARGE END AND AN END REMOTE THEREFROM, SAID TUBE HAVING A REDUCED PASSAGE PROVIDING COMMUNICATION WITH SAID COUPLING THROUGH WHICH PASTE FROM SAID COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER CAN BE SUPPLIED TO SAID TUBE BY THE APPLICATION OF PRESSURE UPON SAID CONTAINER AND WITH THE PASTE PROVIDING A CLOSURE PLUG FOR THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID TUBE, A PUMP FORMING RESILIENT BULB CONNECTED TO SAID TUBE AT A POSITION REMOTE FROM THE DISCHARGE END OF THE LATTER, SAID BULB HAVING AN OPENING FOR THE ADMISSION OF AIR THEREINTO AND OVER WHICH THE THUMB OR FINGER CAN BE PLACED TO CLOSE THE SAME AND BY THE COMPRESSION OF SAID BULB AIR MAY BE FORCED THEREFROM INTO SAID TUBE, THE INTERNAL CAPACITY OF THE BULB BEING GREATER THAN THE INTERNAL CAPACITY OF SAID TUBE BACK OF THE MATERIAL TO BE DISCHARGED, WHEREBY WHEN THE BULB IS COMPRESSED AND AIR IS FORCED INTO SAID TUBE THE MATERIAL IN THE DISCHARGE END OF THE LATTER WILL BE EXPELLED IN A UNITARY MASS. 